On the Effect of the Surfactant on the Structuring of CiEj- and CmGn-based Bicontinuous Microemulsions Inside a Controlled-Pore Glass

This proposal addresses the influence of a confining porous network on the structure of bicontinuous microemulsions inside pores of different sizes. Two different types of bicontinuous microemulsions inside controlled-pore silica glasses (CPGs) will be investigated. CPGs are porous glasses with a bicontinuous structure available with different pore diameters. To compare different types of microemulsions, we chose the ternary system C10E4-water-octane based on an alkyl polyglycol ether surfactant and the quaternary system C10G1-water-dodecane-1-pentanol based on an alkyl polyglycoside surfactant. The impact of the different adsorption behaviour of the chosen surfactants on silica will be investigated. The possible changes of the surface wetting component of the microemulsions could influence the structure inside the pores of the silica network. SANS experiments with contrast variation are required for a detailed structural analysis of the microemulsions inside the porous network.